Supah Brilliant Idea, Man! (Solves "RNG taking forever to give you UFO Tech" Issue)

[GizmoGomez]

So, there's often a problem where players aren't "lucky" enough to get a certain UFO for months at a time due to the random number generator gods not being favorable.

Basically, progressing through research is very hit and miss.

So, we already have measures in place to give the player a Sebillian light scout and a Caesan light scout so they can get the alien biology research up, why not have other grounded UFOs scripted to pop up too?

Don't make them pop up so early in the "timeline" as to make the research predictable, just make them show up late enough that they don't seem too "babying" but early enough that you don't get too far behind.

We could make it an easy-only, or easy and normal only mode, maybe.

Anyway, thoughts?

[Skitso]

I feel the same about terror missions and alien bases too (maybe scripting to make them happen). Feels like a have shot dozens of light scouts down and pretty much nothing else. The game needs IMO a bit more structure to counter the dullness of constant UFO raiding.

[a_beorning]

To me, it's a good cork but not from that hole.

Time-prescripted events are good at "learning curve" stage, but later kill half of replayability.

How to exclude "miss ufo [X] -> forever miss tech [Y]" situation?

Just put tech Х into every UFO later or equal then Y.

It is sane from story point of view (no question "why aliens stop use this tech"),

and sane from developing size (no changes need in engine, only minor augmenting in research tree config)

[lemm]

You usually get the scout before you are done researching jackal armor, so it's not that bad if the scout doesn't arrive early. If this is the case, then you just have to go armor first instead of choosing between armor or lasers.

[Chris]

We don't want to add any more scripted missions beyond the starting two Light Scouts - we script it too much, and it just turns into a standard new XCOM-like strategy progression. The RNG is a pain sometimes but it balances out over time, it's just at the very start the pain is unusually bad if you're unlucky so we felt we had to mitigate that at least.

[a_beorning]

Chris, what about my variant?

No special prescripted events.

Just edit research config:

where condition is "Captured Scout Ufo" - add " or Captured LightCruiser or Captured Cruiser or Captured Battleship or ...(to the max)"

where condition is "Captured Cruiser" - add " or Captured Battleship or ...(to the max)"

And components config - so all research-critical parts from early-and-simple UFOs can be found in later and bigger UFOs too.

Result - no scripting changes AND no tech missed due RNG.

Is not it win-win situation?

[thothkins]

Sounds as if all those Light Scouts put in to make it easier for the new player may be a little high, as mentioned elsewhere.

I agree that the scripted early couple of missions, just ensure that the new player isn't sitting twiddling their thumbs for too long. Or can afford to lose that a first interception, but still get ground missions.

In some games who will have to wait longer for certain things than in other games. I'm fine with that. It's not a race. It's not an exercise in min-maxing either. I prefer it the way it is.

I remember a post about EU1994, where the player said that if you can't get the psi lab up by an optimal time in the game, just restart and try again. Which seems to defeat the point of playing the game to enjoy it.

It isn't, of course, a criticism of human psionics which should of course still be here, in a balanced way.

[TrashMan]

OR do what I do - add a new research that's less usefull than a new one you missed, but stil lhelps you so you have something to do.

For example, In case the RNG is screwing you over and you fail to get the tech necessary to get laser weapons, early on (after plasma rifles), you can research more advanced ballistic weapons.

Basicly the Xenonauts do to guns what they did to airplanes - improve them. Have new, slightly better guns that replace the old. Or have them manufacturable.

The gist is to always give players things to build and research, so that he pretty muc halways has an option to take, and late-game as so many options that he has to choose.

[Chris]

Chris, what about my variant?

No special prescripted events.

Just edit research config:

where condition is "Captured Scout Ufo" - add " or Captured LightCruiser or Captured Cruiser or Captured Battleship or ...(to the max)"

where condition is "Captured Cruiser" - add " or Captured Battleship or ...(to the max)"

And components config - so all research-critical parts from early-and-simple UFOs can be found in later and bigger UFOs too.

Result - no scripting changes AND no tech missed due RNG.

Is not it win-win situation?

This will probably happen, but it's not really what GizmoGomez is talking about. The problem he's talking about is being unlucky and not getting the UFO you need for new technology early enough in the game, so you're attacking larger UFOs with outdated technology.

[GizmoGomez]

So long as every UFO past a certain point unlocks the tech and the research, then I'd be content. I'd just hate to miss ever getting a scout or a 'vette (for whatever reason, unlikely as it may be) and therefore never getting alenium (or a similar situation).

[Jorboc]

Sounds like a very slight variety to the types of UFO's that spawn around that time would fix the problem, but at the same time I like the fact that it won't necessarily happen "when it ought to," and you're stuck improvising in a way that does add variety to each play-through... Then again, that brings back some bad, bad memories of emptying harpoon-gun clips into lobster-men. *shudder*

Of course, I'm always open to what Trashman mentioned regarding upgrades and such. (Mk.II etc.)